Racket hurls a stone at the nearest rat.
Grok waits to see if Racket can handle the situation. He is not equipped for such things.
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Racket's well-aimed throw pegs the rat directly. The rat is indeed undead, so Racket's hit does additional damage: This is enough to hit the rat, and it turns corporeal and slumps to the ground, seeming to disappear as it blends with the shadows in the rubble pile.
The second rat skitters into Ratchet's square -- provoking an opportunity attack, but as it's still incorporeal, Ratchet can't hit it. It bites Ratchet: . As the rat bites deeply into the bone in Ratchet's leg -- for it is also incorporeal -- Ratchet feels his strength draining out of him, and takes points of Strength damage.
You guys are up. There is a rat in Ratchet's square; Grok still has a second magic stone produced by Nilus.
"OWWWW GROK GET THIS DAMN THING OFF ME!"
Racket will five-foot step back, grab another stone from Grok as a Move action, and chuck it at the rat point-blank.
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Racket chucks the second stone... and would have hit, but unfortunately with the shadows, and the rat's ability to blend with the shadows, Racket actually doesn't hit! (There was a 50% concealment miss chance.)
Nilus groans when he sees this. He casts another spell-- this time targeting his wolf Brawd. "Attack the rat!" he commands his newly enchanted animal companion. Brawd runs forward and attacks the rat.
He hits, aided by the flank from Racket, and does half of points of damage.
It's a heavy hit, but it doesn't kill the shadow rat. The incorporeal creature tries to skitter away back towards the rubble, provoking an opportunity attack from Brawd, who takes the opportunity.
This time the wolf fails to connect.
The rat is going to go into the rubble and hide and lick its wounds. Do you want to chase it? If not, at least for now you can search the rest of this room unmolested.
Zavier feel weak. Don't like it. Let's search place quickly before people running it come back.
Grok places the rock in Racket's hand. (As a move action?)
Grok swings at the rat, attempting to aid Racket's AC.
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Searching the room: there seems to be quite a quantity of shovels and other digging equipment. There's also the body of a dead half-orc, half-buried in the rubble. Now that you seem to have scared off the remaining shadow-rat, you can get to the body without trouble. It takes some doing to pull the body free, but between Grok and Zavier you have enough strength present. On the body, you find
- a suit of sturdy chainmail
- a wand of cure light wounds with 8 charges remaining (Nilus was able to identify it)
- a fine silver dagger
- a red gold unholy symbol
The dagger is worth 160gp
Nilus says, "I recognize that holy symbol -- it's the symbol of Nulgreth, the Blood God. He is an evil god of anger, rage, and strength."
Exploration of this room complete, you return back to the T-intersection to the south (where you found the trap), and continue down the south hallway. It turns a couple of times, and comes into another room. This room is pretty stark. There's a stairway leading upwards. In a dusty corner behind the stairwell has been stashed a statue which is obviously a statue of Iomedae. (The Plague House, you recall, was in the past a temple to Iomedae.) The statue is holding a sword, but the angle of the sword is slightly odd, as if it were loose. The sword appears to be made of metal, and looks to be fairly well-made.
Let me know how you proceed.
Grok inspects the sword and surroundings, and if he sees no threat, removes the sword.
"Hold on ya big lug, you know you need to let me inspect stuff like this first!"
Racket leads the group up the stairs, watching for traps or other dangers.
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The stairs lead up to a small room, with two iron doors that you get the sense will lead to the surface level of the Plaugehouse, where you've been before.
At the top of the staircase, off to the side, is a metal lockbox.
Let me know how you proceed.
(Note that you haven't fully explored the basement yet.)
Racket checks the metal lockbox for traps, then opens it, unlocking it if necessary.
Grok trundles along, sword drawn, awaiting danger.
Maybe we look at other rooms in basement before leaving? Only place we find that explain all the bad things happening
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Racket determines that there are no traps on the box, and has no trouble opening it. Looking at the lock mechanism, it's not that good; he suspects that there was some sort of arcane enhancement to the lock. Still, his skill was up to the task.
Inside are a potion, two scrolls, a masterwork hand crossbow, and a case containing 30 bolts: 10 normal, 10 cold iron, and 10 silver.
Let me know how you proceed.
Racket sniffs the potion.
Zavier feel weak but should search all basement before men who run it come back
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The group heads back downstairs. You go down the hallway past the staircase leading up. At the end is an iron door. After Racket determines that it's trap-free, he opens it, and you head into the room.
The walls of this chamber are pocked with skull-sized cubbyholes, each containing a single brass or clay urn—some long sinces shattered or dented, others still intact. A lightly colored stone statue depicting a burning chariot wheel occupies the northwest corner of the room. Two iron doors on the eastern wall allow egress from the room. You came in through the southern of these two doors.
The statue is Jingh, one of Iomedae's celestial emissaries.
There's something a bit odd about the center of the room. There appears to be a skeletal arm suspended in midair, and the far side of the room is very slightly blurred as if you were looking through a slightly soapy window.
Let me know how you proceed.
Look. There. Arm. And is there Window?
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When Zavier points it out, the rest of you see that there seems to be a skeletal arm hovering in the middle of the room.
And, as he mentions Window, come to think of it, it almost looks like you're looking through a slightly frosted window as you look at the far side of the room.
Let me know how you proceed.
"Hmm.. that is foreboding. I'm never a huge fan of messing with skeletal arms, as a rule. What do you think, Grok?"
Throw something at it maybe? Zavier says doubtfully.
"GROK NOT AFRAID. GROK SMASH BONE ARM.
Grok walks up and swings at the arm if no one tells him to stop.
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Grok steps forward... but does not make it to the hovering skeletal arm. There's an invisible, but slightly yielding barrier of some sort. And it's acidic! Grok takes one point of acid damage from the thing in front of him.
Swinging out, his oversized greatsword cuts into what is clearly some sort of large (10' across or thereabouts) transparent creature that sucks up whatever it rolls over, damaging it.
You guys have initiative before the Gelatinous Cube (even though it rolled 19 on the die...). Let me know how you proceed.
"Boy I wish I had studied up more before coming out here. I know I've heard of something like that, but no clue where.. anyway, kill it!"
Racket pulls out and tosses an alchemist's fire at the cube.
What Is Thing?
Zavier tries to kick it.
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Zavier kicks the thing, and feels a sort of yielding, gelatinous wall in front of him. He also thinks he kicked into it a bit, probably doing some damage. Meanwhile, Racket throws an alchemist fire at it, hitting it and setting it on fire.
Nilus moves in and stabs at the thing with his spear; the spear sticks into the transparent gelatinous mess, and you can vaguely see some of the disgusting ooze inside it spray out.
(Grok still to go.)
Grok will step back, draw a javelin, and chuck it at the cube.
"WHAT IS THAT?"
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Grok's javelin spears into the cube, tearing a hole into it and embedding itself in the cube. The cube is oozing all sorts of ichor now.
Horriflyingly, it starts to ooze forward. Not moving as fast as one of you, but moving surprisingly fast for an oversized cube of gellatin, it slides to the south, threatening to enuglf all three of you!
Each of you have a choice. You can either take an attack of opportunity as it moves over you, or you can attempt a Reflex save. If you make the save, you aren't engulfed, and are pushed aside (back out into the hallway). If you don't, or if you take the AoO, you will be engulfed by the cube, at which point you'll start taking damage from its digestive juices... unless you manage to kill it with AoOs.
Let me know how you proceed.
Racket tries to move out of the way, but is tripped by the shaft of Grok's javelin as the cube comes toward him.
"Grok you $%&*$& moron! Look what you--- glug glug..." and he's swallowed up.
Seeing Racket get swallowed Zavier swings a fist.
Let Big Racket go!
Grok gracefully 'dodges' the ooze. And by dodge, I mean dives face first into it.
Grok then tries to free himself.
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Both Racket and Grok get swallowed up by the gelatinous cube. All appears to be lost... but as it moves over him, Zavier swings a powerful fist, and it's enough to completely destroy the structural integrity of the wobbly aberration. Zavier punches into it, and as he's enveloped it explodes all around him, leaving him standing triumphant, but covered in goo.
Grok and Ratchet are able to stand up and shake themselves free, and they are also covered in goo.
At this point, you believe you have explored all of the plague house basement. Is there anything else you want to look for down here?
From what you've seen, it's clear that while the temple (and then plague house) was abandoned many years ago, somebody has been using it recently, including setting traps to catch the unwary. The prisoner you freed, Othdan, has told you something about it. He was snooping around, but was caught by a half-orc who knocked him out and locked him up in the furnace room. He thinks that he hears voices most often at night.
What do you want to do next? It's currently about mid-day. Options include going back into the walls into Trunau proper, hanging out here to see if anybody comes back, etc.
Nilus, indicating that he has other things he needs to attend to, wishes to head back into the walls of Trunau.
Grughh. Zavier feel weak. But whoever lives here will know we were here. Let us go back. Heal and come back before night to catch them!
"AGREED. LET'S GO BACK."
"Fine, ya big babies!"
Grok lowers a big, stony, hand over Racket's mouth. And therefore, most of his head.
He simply shakes head "NO".
*Interlude*
What has happened so far...
* Roderick was found dead in his room. Suicide was quickly ruled out after the characters investigated the matter, discovering several unusual events: a man who stayed in the Ramblehouse without disclosing his identity, an incriminating note in the man's room, Roderick's hopeknife was poorly finished, and the man had no reason to kill himself. All signs pointing to murder.
* That evening, the characters were attacked by wolves that appeared to be rabid. Further examination indicated that their disease was alchemical rather than natural.
* The next day, the characters learned that Roderick was investigating something big going on in the town, but had not told anybody the details.
* That evening, the characters were attacked in their rooms by assassins. One of the attackers was interrogated, revealing that the group was from a lawless hovel called Freedomtown. Her group was hired along with others to infiltrate the town, spread chaos, and help sabotage defensive structures. A orc with extensive facial tattoos gave her and her allies your descriptions, with orders to kill you.
* After hearing her tale, the characters recommended that the town militia be activated in preparation for an attack.
* The characters headed to Clamor to ask about the poorly finished hopeknife. While therey, they discovered the oracle, Katrezra, hiding in the shop. He informed them that Roderick visited him after seeing a troll in Plague House. Katrezra began having visions of Plague House, and feared something terrible would happen if Roderick returned.
* The characters went to Plague House where they discovered a local man, Othdan, had been captured and imprisoned by a massive half-orc. Othdan also told the characters that he frequently heard several voices late at night, including that of his kidnapper.
* The characters finished clearing out the rest of Plague House, and returned to town to rest and recover.
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